WOFOYO SHORT: Paul's Got Jokes.... (when light causes darkness)

What if the brightest things in your life are quietly casting a shadow over your view of Jesus? We dive into Paul’s charge in Ephesians 5 to “walk as children of light,” then trace the thread back through Genesis—where God speaks light into the void—and forward to John’s claim that the life of Christ is the Light of humanity. Along the way, we talk about how wisdom, teachers, ministries, and even spiritual experiences can become idols when they block the very source they were meant to reveal.

We share stories from school days that made the language of light feel concrete, connecting what Scripture says about exposure and visibility with what science observes at the smallest scales. That bridge matters, not to chase novelty, but to show how truth holds from the lab bench to the prayer closet. We explore why false light is persuasive, how “light-bearer” language can distract, and why humility in spiritual warfare is vital. Jude’s warning reframes authority: proximity to Jesus matters more than confidence or technique, and even Michael leaves judgment to the Lord.

The heartbeat here is alignment. We talk about practical guardrails to keep first love first—staying near the Father, obeying the Spirit’s promptings, and keeping identity anchored in the Son. We get honest about how good gifts turn into shadows when our gaze stops at them, and how to move them out of the way so Christ remains unobstructed. If you’ve felt the pull of complexity while longing for clarity, this conversation offers a grounded path: keep the Source in sight, let light expose what needs to change, and refuse to let anything, even something good, stand between you and Jesus.

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Transcript

Walking As Children Of Light

Genesis To John: Light And Creation

Science Class And Light In Everything

Shadows, Idols, And False Light

Jude’s Warning And Right Authority

Stay Aligned With Father, Son, Spirit

Closing Thanks And How To Subscribe

SPEAKER_00 0:16

Hey everybody, welcome to another Woe Foyo short. This is C Dub. We're going to call this a short Paul's Got Jokes. Because we were talking about, you know, Paul is the very one who says in Galatians, Oh, you foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you for the simplicity in Christ? And for sure, amen. The most joy you're going to have, sometimes the most power that you're going to have is walking simply in the simplicity of Christ. But a lot of times in this podcast, we've talked about balance. So here's one of those things that Paul, if anybody has delved into the deep things of God, if anybody has a deep revelation, New Testament of the deep things of God, Paul is taking a backseat to nobody. I mean, he's right on par with anybody else that that's having any kind of major New Testament Christian revelation. I mean, it's it's Paul and it's John. Jude's getting some too. Peter. They're all up there together. So, you know, he says that over in Galatians, and then not too long after, if you're reading, in Ephesians 5, so over in Ephesians 5, we're gonna start at verse 8. So here's the admonishment. Paul is saying, you're you're to make sure that you walk in love. He's also saying, prior to this, don't walk like those that are in darkness. They're not going to inherit the kingdom of God. And he starts listening to these words. Get in the word for yourself, see what they are. Don't do them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. As you try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord, do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them, for it is disgraceful even to speak those things which are done by them in secret. Verse thirteen. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, Awake, sleeper, arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. And then he admonishes the believers in Ephesus and is admonishing us today to walk as children of light, what to do, how to do it, what not to do again. And that's how he concludes this chapter as well as talking about how to do so in your family life. But going back to verse 13, but all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. We can go back to the Gospel of John, we can go back to Genesis, this creation account. In Genesis 1:1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was formless and desolate, emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, Let there be light, and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And there was evening and there was morning. One day, King James says, the first day. In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind, and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it. Some versions say could not overcome it. Other versions say could not comprehend it. So what are you saying, C-Dub? Well, I mentioned this in our full episode. We're gonna get a little bit deeper. I'm not a big philosophical guy, uh, because a lot of times we get into vain philosophy, if we're not careful, especially with things like this. We can start to dig deep, but you see how rich the Bible is. And you see how Paul, by simply saying everything that can be seen, everything that has been made visible is light. Well, Bones and I had two really good uh high school science teachers. Um biology guy was a guy named uh Owen Everett called him Bo, good dude, giant of a man, spoke in monotone, kind of like the clear eyes guy, just a little bit less nasal, but superhuman being, big believer in Jesus Christ. But our physics and chemistry guy was a dude named Brad Whitdy. And I just remember how he was talking in physics as well as some of the chemistry, and he was going, you gotta realize when they break it down to these subatomic levels, everything is made by light. The only possible exception would be dark matter, which was then considered theoretical, which just shows you how old I am. But here we have Paul 1900 years ago saying the same thing that they were just finding out through all this science, all these instruments, all this theory, they are saying, Oh, okay, yeah, we found out everything's made by light. Well, Paul's telling you that. Well, how did Paul know that? Well, the interesting thing here is, you know, I get bored, I like to read, and one of the things from the detractors of Christianity is they will say the Greeks believe that the word came in in existence because God spoke the Logos, the Word. Even some of the Persians, the Zoroastrians, they believe that God spoke the world into existence by the Logos, by the Word. You have these other ancient religions that believed that God created the universe and spoke it by the word. And they're all saying, Oh, yeah, this is true. But here's the thing about that Pastor Daryl Coulson over at uh Hope Church over in Anna, we've had this discussion. I'm like, I'm not trying to detract from these legends, but we have proof that Jesus Christ exists, existed, and exists. And he said, All that came before me were thieves or liars. Here, here, here, so here's the deal that I really want to get into. So think about this. Why is this important? There's actually some lessons here in that all things are made by light. Because if we're not careful, we can get hemmed up. We can get hemmed up because something is made of light into thinking that it's the source of the light. And probably the most glaring example of that, it says in Genesis, God created light. You separated light from you have light. Well, what's automatically there as well? Darkness. Well, if you have something that is made of light and it gets between you and the source of the light, what's it going to create? It's going to create shadow. Shadow is a level of darkness. Sometimes the shadows can get super dark. Sometimes those shadows are not as prominent. Okay, it depends on how much they're blocking out the source of the light, the true light. Blaring example would be the devil. They call him in Isaiah, one of the terms used is Lucifer, which translates into light bringer. Paul said even Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. Well, a lot of times what happens is we can have things that are of light that were made by God. Here's a lesson. I don't like to get too philosophical, but this is more of a principle than anything. Even though something might be made by light, by the light, they are not the true light. If you let that get between you and the source, now it's an idol. Now it is keeping you from relationship. Now it is hindering you from seeking the true source of that burning fire for intimacy with Christ in your soul. There are a lot of things that are out there that the only reason they're there, it's a manifestation of God, but it is not God Himself. So make sure you're not letting anything, even if it's created, even if it's a minister, something that serves God. And I'm not talking about like the ministry, the minister person, although it can apply. But I'm talking about a minister is a servant. So even something that is serving God's purpose, if it gets between you and the Lord, now it's created darkness and shadow. Don't be in that. Also, Jude, he's talking about evil and immoral people. He's saying, be careful because you need to recognize what these things are. And he's talking about people that are high and mighty and going on willy-nilly and basically throwing off restraint because they think they have all this knowledge. Which Paul goes, Who's bewitched you from the simplicity in Christ? So Paul knew some of these things, probably a little bit more esoteric and philosophical Jewish teaching, probably some Jewish mysticism that was taught rabbinically. But he never, after that Damascus road experience, never let that get between him and Jesus. Jude 8. Yet in the same way, these people also dreaming defile the flesh, reject authority, speak abusively of angelic majesties. But Michael, the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him an abusive judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke you. But these people disparage all the things they do not understand, and all the things they know by instinct like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. So woe unto them, they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay, they have given themselves over to the era of Balaam and perished in the rebellion of Korah. Well, they're talking about envy. They're talking, especially with Cain and Korah, being willing to slander uh people. They're also talking about being greedy for money, as in Balaam. So Jude's like, you never address these things on your own authority anyway. You have to be walking in the authority of Jesus Christ. You have to be walking in the authority and on mission from God. I've seen too many people, people that I love, people that have a very tender spot in my heart, and I've seen them get hemmed up going off willy-nilly, trying to do spiritual warfare. And next thing you know, they they they were speaking out a turn, and it came back to get them. That being said, we're not to be ignorant of the devil and his devices. Make sure that you are intimately close with Jesus Christ because he is that true light. Don't let anything else get between you and Jesus Christ, the true light. Oh, but this is this is light too, and this is light too, and this is light too, and this is all like if it's not God, if it is not the Son of God, if it is not the Spirit of God, be very careful, and that doesn't mean that it in and of itself is bad. Some things are. Again, you're talking idolatry, you're talking about vain philosophy, you're talking about vain tradition, you're talking about things that started off good but got corrupted. But how easily does that thing get between you and the source of light God? Because it can be a ministry, it can be a person, it can be your favorite theological teaching, it can be people that you love and respect, but if they get between you and the Lord, even though they might be made of light, just like you're made of light, but we're not the true light, we come from the light himself, Jesus Christ. If it gets between us, it's creating shadow. Make sure that you are properly aligned with the Father. Make sure you are properly aligned with the Son, and make sure that you are properly aligned and in communication with his Spirit, and that you're getting into the Word for yourself. Because once you have that, you're not going to lose your bearings. Stay plugged into God, stay intimate with Jesus, stay obedient to the Holy Spirit, and then you can recognize what things are without letting them get in between you and him. Wofoyo. Hey everybody, thanks for listening. We hope this challenges you and causes you to grow. You can always check us out at woofoyo.org, find out how to contact us there, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or all the way, even check us out on YouTube. For bones and myself, this is C Dub, reminding you that if you're going to grow, you got a woefo yo. Get in the word for yourself.